“1Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. 2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 3But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: 4That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. 5And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” (Matthew 6:1-6)
Generosity and kind deeds should be done for their own sake and not for the sake of any reward. This is the only way for charity to be genuine. The reward for good deeds is not material; it comes exclusively from the world of truth. Kind actions must always be done discreetly. What matters is that loftier beings—not humans—see us carrying them out. Likewise, prayers should be uttered silently and not noticed by others. He who needs to listen (i.e., God) is always listening. True redemption can only happen in our hearts.
Our most beautiful traits are surely noticed by others; modesty means not needing to show them off.
